(Winslow won its first state trophy since 1979. Photo by Darin Sicurello/maxpreps.com)

Winslow’s long wait for another basketball crown is over.

Motivated by last year’s championship loss, Winslow left no doubt Monday who’d cut down the net in this season’s 3A title game. Winslow started separating itself from Blue Ridge late in the first period and never lost the lead in its 79-63 victory at Gila River Arena.

The fans of Winslow almost filled the arena's lower bowl and witnessed their boys claim their first basketball title since 1979. For Blue Ridge, it was the third time that it reached a basketball championship game. 

“This win is not only for our school but for the town as well,” Winslow coach Scott Corum said. “We have the best fans in northern Arizona.”

Depth, defense and constantly darting all over the court were the cornerstones of Corum’s team this season.

No. 1 seed Blue Ridge (31-4) and No. 2 Winslow (27-6) split their two regular season meetings, but Winslow was the aggressor from the start Monday, scoring 30 of its 36 first half points in the paint. Also, for the game, Winslow shot 54.4 percent.

Defensively, Yoann Djassa stuck with the taller Mason Berges, Blue Ridge’s double-double threat, in the first half. Berges ended with 29 points and 14 rebounds but was held to 10 points in the first half when Winslow set the tone.

(Winslow's Yoann Djassa. Photo by Darrin Sicurello/maxpreps.com)

Blue Ridge trailed by eight points at halftime, but Winslow jumped ahead 46-24 after opening the third period with a 10-0 run. The third period ended with a Darious James (18 points, 7 rebounds) lay up just before the buzzer.

Zachary Wagner, Ricardo Villanueva and Djassa each had nine rebounds for Winslow. In his final high school game, Villanueva finished with a team-high 29 points.

“It’s in the blood,” said Villanueva about his team’s run-and-gun style of play. “Once its starts pumping, it starts pumping.”